FSSAI Proposes Red Warning Labels for Packaged Foods High in Sugar, Salt and Fat
New Delhi: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed a new warning label for packaged food items that contain high levels of sugar, salt or saturated fat.
In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, the regulator suggested a bright red, hexagonal symbol on the front of such packages. The symbol would resemble a stop sign and alert consumers to potentially unhealthy ingredients.
The proposal is aimed at making nutritional information easier to notice and helping consumers make healthier choices. It comes days after a Supreme Court bench headed by Justice JB Pardiwala criticised the FSSAI and the Centre over the issue.
Call For Clearer Warnings
The proposed rules have also led to a debate over the responsibility of food companies towards consumers. Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe told Reuters that food businesses should do more than simply follow regulations, as reported by India Today.
He said clear warning labels could help consumers understand the risks, make informed decisions and take preventive action.
The industry has opposed some parts of the proposed rules. Coca-Cola, as well as groups representing Nestle and PepsiCo, has raised concerns over certain labelling requirements.
Rules To Be Introduced In Phases
The Supreme Court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by the NGO ‘3S and Our Health Society’. The petition said some food products were contributing to the rise in childhood obesity because they contained high levels of sugar, salt and fat.
It also alleged that companies were not clearly disclosing this information on their packaging. Following the Court’s intervention, the government proposed the changes in its affidavit.
Under the plan, products that cross the permitted limits for sugar, salt or saturated fat will have to carry a red hexagonal warning label on the front of the package.
The words “HIGH SUGAR,” “HIGH SALT,” or “HIGH FAT” will also have to be printed in large and clear letters. The font size must be at least one point larger than the font used in the nutritional information table on the back of the package.
The rules will be introduced in two phases. In the first phase, the warning will be required on products containing excessive levels of at least two ingredients—sugar, salt or fat.
In the second phase, the rule will also cover products that contain excessive levels of only one of these ingredients.
Basic single-ingredient products such as ghee, oil, salt, sugar, jaggery and honey are proposed to be exempted from the front-of-pack warning requirement.
